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How much is a basketball scholarship worth


U.S Basketball Scholarships - U.S Sports Scholarships

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U.S Basketball ScholarshipsUSSportsScholarships2022-04-16T10:08:59+01:00

How do you get a basketball scholarship in America?

U.S college basketball is arguably more popular than ever, especially following the Netflix series the Last Dance, which means it is a really attractive option for many talented student-athletes worldwide. Naturally this means competition for places can be extremely high, which is why using a recruitment consultancy like U.S Sports Scholarships can give you a real advantage. To increase your chances of securing the best basketball scholarship possible it is also important that you have strong basketball and academic credentials. Key elements of the process that can impact how successful you are in securing a scholarship include; your academic qualifications, entrance exam scores, playing history and basketball match highlights. Below we have given you the answers to some of the most frequently asked questions we receive about securing a football scholarship in America.

What is an U.S athletic basketball scholarship?

An athletic basketball scholarship or football scholarship (UK) is a form of scholarship to attend a U.S college or university awarded to an individual based on their academic and athletic capabilities. A asketball scholarship can cover anywhere between 0-100% of costs and these offers are authorised by the coaches at American colleges/universities.

What determines how much scholarship I get in the USA?

Your scholarship will depend on many factors including your playing ability and academic standing, as well as your coaches assigned budget for the season. However, don’t worry it is our job to ensure that we find you an American college which best suits your preferences and capabilities. If, for example, a university costs $50,000 a year all in and the coach is giving you a scholarship worth $42,000, then this is a partial scholarship as there is a $8,000 shortfall that the coach wants you to contribute towards the costs of attending the university. Most partial scholarships come with the incentive that if you perform well, both on the court and in the classroom, then the coach can reward you with a scholarship increase and cover any costs that you had been contributing towards.

Does basketball offer full scholarships?

The level of scholarship granted is fundamentally dependent on what the coach of the American college wants to offer. A 100% scholarship or ‘full ride’ covers the costs of tuition and fees, room and board, and textbooks, leaving only incidental costs to pay for the student-athlete. In this case, 100% of the costs are covered and it can be worth up to a staggering $400,000 over four years. At U.S Sports Scholarships, one in every four of our athletes will receive a full scholarship.

Can a basketball player go on to play professional basketball in the NBA after graduating from University?

NBA teams do draft college players into their rosters after they have completed their University education and therefore for top level student-athletes playing in the NBA is definitely a realistic opportunity; however, competition for places is understandably extremely competitive. In fact under 2% of basketball players at NCAA schools do go on to play in the NBA. That being said, at U.S Sports Scholarships we are firm believers that if you are good enough you will get picked up and playing at college in America for four years gives you the perfect platform to get spotted.

How do I find out more about U.S Basketball Scholarships?

To find out more about the soccer scholarship process, fill out our form and a U.S Sports Scholarships consultant will be in touch to answer any questions you may have. Alternatively, you can register for one of our UK Basketball Information Days where our expert team will deliver a detailed presentation that will provide you with information on the entire process and how we can help you with securing a basketball scholarship. If this is of interest please complete our free online application now.

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What are the chances of getting a basketball scholarship?

If you are aged between 15-22, in education or have been in the last 2 years and have a clean criminal record whilst playing basketball at a competitive level, you are well positioned to become a successful U.S Sports Scholarships applicant. However, only the best young players will be considered for a basketball scholarship by coaches so ideally you will have played at an Academy, Centre of Excellence or have represented your County side.

Colleges that can offer basketball scholarships

Colleges at the NCAA D1, NCAA D2, NAIA and Junior College levels can all offer scholarships. How many scholarships are available at any given school depends on how many scholarships the coach has committed, whether they are a fully funded program, how the program likes to use their scholarship money and several other factors. Check out the information section for more details about each collegiate conference and our University Database for more information about specific schools.

A basketball scholarship in America gives student-athletes the opportunity to play basketball whilst simultaneously working towards an internationally recognised university degree. By earning a basketball scholarship, you will receive a financial package that goes towards tuition fees, room and board and other relevant living costs. In return for this financial support, you will be expected to maintain the academic and athletic standards set by the University throughout your University career in order to retain your basketball scholarship. Along with top-level academics, American Universities can offer world-class match day stadia, state of the art training facilities and the best collegiate coaches in the world. To read some of the most FAQs we get regarding basketball scholarships in America please scroll to the bottom of this page. Most scholarships are one-year agreements that must be renewed each year. For most NCAA schools, a scholarship offer does not become official until a student-athlete signs the National Letter of Intent. Of course, student-athletes must first go through the recruiting process in order to secure a roster spot and get an athletic scholarship.

Why use a recruitment consultancy like U.S Sports Scholarships

U.S Sports Scholarships is like no other service provider in the world in that we only offer 50 places on our recruitment programme each year to ensure that every single player receives the necessary time and personal attention to take them through the complex process of finding a suitable school in America; helping them secure the best possible financial package. To help achieve this, each player is assigned their own designated representative who is with them every step of the way. If you think you have what it takes to play and study in the USA on a basketball scholarship, please complete our free online application now.

Find out if you are eligible for a sports scholarship now

Click the button below to start your application.

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Mind-Blowing Scholarship Stats for 2022

A scholarship can be defined as an amount of money given to a student to help them pay for their studies. Most scholarships are merit based or, in other words, awarded to students due to their extraordinary academic or athletic achievements.

The latest scholarship stats include vital information for future college applicants, as this type of financial aid, along with grants, doesn’t need to be repaid. Student loans, on the other hand, need to be paid off with interest.

We have compiled a list consisting of the most important questions regarding these statistics.

  • The average scholarship is worth $7,400.
  • Only 0.2% of students got $25,000 or more in scholarships per year.
  • The NCAA awards more than $2.9 billion in athletics scholarships annually.
  • 48% of students receive federal scholarships.
  • Only 1.3% of athletes receive a full or partial athletic scholarship.
  • An average scholarship for athletes is around $5,000.
  • College baseball players receive around 5,400 scholarships.
  • Division I soccer teams receive an average of 12 scholarships.

General Scholarship Statistics

How many types of scholarships are there?

Scholarships can be grouped into three different categories:

  1. Merit-based scholarships that can be:
    • Academic — for candidates with an exceptional academic performance
    • Athletic — for candidates with athletic skills
    • Artistic — for candidates talented in arts
  2. Need-based scholarships — for candidates from low-income families
  3. Scholarships for minorities and other groups — based on personal, social, or demographic criteria, such as race, religion, sexual orientation, family associations, place of origin, medical history, and similar.
What are the most common scholarships?

The most common types of scholarships are merit based, mostly on academic or athletic achievement.

To qualify for an academic scholarship, an applicant must have a high GPA, a high score on standardized tests like the SAT and GRE, and other measurable academic achievements.

Exceptional athletes applying for athletic scholarships also need to have a good academic background. Another factor that can influence a candidate’s chance of receiving a scholarship is an age restriction.

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What percentage of people get scholarships?

It seems that, for most students, financial aid is much welcomed. According to the 2019–20 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:20), 44.6% of undergraduates received financial aid from their institution in spring 2020.

In comparison, the 2015–16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:16) showed that 63.3% of undergraduate students received a certain type of grant. This includes grants, scholarships, or tuition waivers from federal, state, institutional, or private sources, including employers. The percentage of graduate students who received a grant is 40.3%. The NPSAS:16 sample consisted of about 89,000 undergraduate and 24,000 graduate students.

How much is the average scholarship worth?

According to the same study, the average grant received by an undergraduate student is $7,400. In addition, the average amount received by a graduate student is higher — $9,500. A different source claims that the average amount awarded depends on where the money came from. However, according to the book Secrets to Winning a Scholarship by Mark Kantrowitz, the average scholarship amount per student is $2,800 a year.

Where did this money come from?

According to an infographic on scholarships made by Fluid Review, $49 billion were awarded in scholarships in the school year 2010/2011.

Federal, state, and local government sources provided $46 billion. On the other hand, private companies, foundations, and civic groups provided $3 billion.

To put into perspective how the money was divided between students:

  • 48% of students received money from federal scholarships
  • 36% of students received money from scholarships provided by private companies, foundations, and civic groups
  • 31% of students received money from state and/or local government scholarships.
    Regarding funding, there are some surprising scholarship stats. Namely, the fast food and soft drink industry provided $.5.5 million in scholarship funds.

Each year, these companies give students in the US the following amount of money:

  • $3 million is given by Coca Cola
  • $1 million is given by KFC
  • $1 million is given by Dr. Pepper
  • $500 thousand is given by McDonald’s.

Combined, these companies make $15 billion in profits. Therefore, the amount they give away represents a tiny 0.3% of their profits.

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What percentage of students get a full ride scholarship?

If you are a future college applicant hoping to get a full ride scholarship, we regret to inform you that the odds aren’t in your favor. It seems that only 0.2% of students get $25,000 or more in scholarships per year.

The aforementioned Mark Kantrowitz analyzed the data from the 2015–16 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) and found the following scholarship stats:

  • 1.5% of students in bachelor’s degree programs got enough grants and scholarships to cover 100% of the cost of attendance;
  • 2.7% received enough to cover 90% of attendance costs;
  • 5.9% were granted enough to cover 75% of the cost of attendance;
  • 18.8% received enough to cover 50% of the cost of attendance.
Is there financial aid for minorities and other groups?

Scholarship statistics show that, each year, a significant amount of money is awarded to students based on their race, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, and similar.

Numerous scholarships are targeted at women, Native Americans, veterans, students from the LGBT community, and students belonging to a minority.

It seems that scholarships are equally distributed between sexes — 59% of recipients are female and 41% are male.

According to scholarship statistics by race, only 38% of recipients are minority students, and 62% are white students.

Moreover, students who are at least one-quarter Hispanic/Latino can receive awards between $500 and $5,000 from the Hispanic Scholarship Fund. To qualify, they need a GPA of 3.00 or higher.

On the other hand, the Asian and Pacific Islander American Scholarship Fund (APIASF) has 13 scholarship programs. In fact, their sponsors have awarded $80 million in grants since 2003.

The Blacks At Microsoft (BAM) scholarship gives $5,000 to students of African descent interested in technology.

College Athletic Scholarships Facts

How are athletic scholarships divided?

The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) groups colleges and universities into three groups and supplies some of the funds that schools offer to their students.

  • Division I — colleges and universities with the most competitive athletic programs.
  • Division II — smaller colleges and universities with less competitive programs.
  • Division III — colleges and universities that are more academically focused yet offer academic opportunities.
How much is the average athletic scholarship worth?

Annually, the NCAA awards more than $2.9 billion in athletic scholarships to over 150,000 student-athletes.

Students can receive financial aid in the following forms:

  • A full ride scholarship
  • A partial scholarship
  • A tuition and fees scholarship
  • A room and board scholarship

The actual awarded amount depends on the school’s cost of attendance; however, the percentage of covered expenses will be the same.

The average athletic scholarship amount is around $17,142 per student. However, not every student receives this much. Most athletes get around $5,000.

What percentage of students receive athletic scholarships?

Skilled athletes should consider having a backup plan when it comes to paying for college. Only around 1.3% of high school athletes are awarded some sort of athletic scholarship. Compared to what percentage of students get scholarships in general, the number is very low.

How many students receive a full ride athletic scholarship?

If only around 1.3% of high school athletes receive a certain type of scholarship, we can assume that the number of athletes receiving a full ride is lower than 1%. If we look at academic scholarships vs. athletic scholarships statistics, we will see that college applicants have a higher chance of receiving aid based on academic merit.

How to increase your chances of receiving an athletic scholarship?

Having outstanding athletic performance is not the only deciding factor. While it can be considered the most important one, there are other ways to increase your chances of getting a college sports scholarship.

For instance, choosing the right sport can boost your chances of receiving financial aid. Some of the easiest sports scholarships to get are those aimed at track and field athletes. However, playing a second sport also significantly increases your chances.

That being said, there are some age restrictions as well. Applicants should be between 16 and 25 if they want to apply for a sports scholarship.

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Of course, maintaining a high GPA should be a top priority for high school students, as academic achievement is also taken into consideration. In addition, committees need to select applicants with good grades, as there is a limit on the scholarships they can award.

According to scholarship stats regarding the number of scholarships schools can award, the maximum number is usually no more than 30 students per sport.

What are your chances of getting a soccer scholarship?

In the school year 2019–20, there were 476,203 male high school soccer players and 408,807 female high school soccer players. In the same school year, the number of male college soccer players was 42,112, and the number of female college soccer players stood at 41,975.

According to scholarship stats, soccer teams in Division I get around a dozen scholarships per year. The women’s team gets 14, and the men’s team gets 10 scholarships.

However, these are the maximum scholarships allowed, so the number may be smaller if the school has budget limits. In fact, the percentage of male high school soccer players who compete at the NCAA Division 1 level is lower than 1%.

What are the baseball scholarship stats?

Only around 5,400 scholarships are granted to college baseball players.

Division I schools have a limit of 11.7 scholarships per year. These scholarships can be divided among a maximum number of 27 players, and players need to receive a minimum of 25% of the scholarship. On the other hand, Division II schools offer an even lower number of scholarships, with an upper limit of nine scholarships per year.

Getting a full ride baseball scholarship is very rare. Coaches usually divide the amount among their players, giving them a partial scholarship.

What are the golf scholarship stats?

Much like baseball, golf is an equivalency sport. This means that coaches split the amount of money intended for scholarships among players. Likewise, a full ride scholarship for a golf player is rare.

In the school year 2019–20, there were 168,480 male high school golf players and 96,071 female high school golf players. At the college level, there were 11,867 male golfers and 7,276 female golfers.

If we look at statistics, scholarships for golf players weren’t plentiful. Division I schools’ maximum limit was 4.5 scholarships for male players per team and 6 scholarships for female players per team. There were 301 male teams with an average team size of 10 golf players and 270 female teams with an average team size of eight golf players.

What are the volleyball scholarship statistics?

In the school year 2019–20, there were 477,117 female high school volleyball players and 67,243 male high school volleyball players. At a college level, the number of female volleyball players was 28,796. On the other hand, the number of male college volleyball players was 3,929.

Now, Division I schools have a maximum limit of 12 scholarships for female players per team. On the other hand, the maximum limit of scholarships for male players per team is 4.5.

Volleyball is considered a headcount sport, so all the student-athletes will get a full ride scholarship.

How many track scholarships are given each year?

In the school year 2019–20, there were 617,583 male track and field athletes and 498,131 female track and field athletes. At the college level, there were 36,566 male track and field athletes and 36,106 female track and field athletes.

There were 291 male track and field teams and 341 female track and field teams. Moreover, the average team size was 39 players for male teams and 40 players for female teams. Division I schools had a maximum limit of 12.6 scholarships for men and 18 for women.

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Does track offer full ride scholarships?

Most track and field scholarships are partial. Coaches usually divide the available amount of money among players to increase the number of top athletes in their team.

Full ride track and field scholarships are considered very rare. The deciding factor for offering a scholarship is how big of an impact a potential scholarship candidate can have on the team.

Are Scholarship Statistics in Your Favor?

Most scholarships don’t cover the full costs of going to college. Less than 2% actually cover all the expenses incurred by going to college, while the rest of them cover a certain percentage of the costs.

What’s more, the competition for academic and athletic scholarships is fierce, and the requirements are strict. As a result, the percentage of students getting scholarships is small, while the percentage of those receiving enough financial aid is even smaller. Considering how many students get scholarships, scholarship stats show that 45% of students graduated with a high average student loan debt.

Sources:

Athletes USA
AthleticScholarships
ChamberOfCommerce
Debt.Org
Debt.Org
Debt.Org
Fluid Review
GoCollege
NCAA
NCES
NCES
NCSASports
ScholarshipStats
ScholarshipStats
ScholarshipStats
ScholarshipStats
ScholarshipStats
WashingtonPost
WashingtonPost

Sports Scholarships at US Universities

Sports Scholarships from the US University is an opportunity to get a free or almost free higher education in the States while doing your favorite sport at the highest level.

Sports are an important part of the American education system. Each institution of higher education in the United States provides its wards with the opportunity not only for intellectual, but also for physical development. Students are offered fully equipped sports and gyms, stadiums, tennis courts, golf courses, swimming pools and other elements of sports infrastructure.

I must say that the attitude to physical education in US universities is more than serious. Students do not just periodically visit the pool or make a circle or two on the treadmill, they purposefully go in for this or that kind of sport, participate in interuniversity competitions, win prizes.

By the way, university team competitions are a big source of income for educational institutions. Let's say tickets for intercollegiate football games cost between $50 and $100. Both students and local residents come to watch the competitions.

However, for university games to be successful with spectators, participating teams must demonstrate a high level of professionalism. In other words, universities need strong athletes. That is why part of the money earned from competitions goes to provide sports scholarships at universities.

Since higher education in the United States costs a lot of money, scholarships that fully or partially cover the cost of education are a great way to attract to the university those guys who excelled in the sports field at school, which means that in the future they will be able to glorify their alma mater .

33 sports at 1500 universities in the US

There are 33 sports for which you can get an athletic scholarship in the US:

  • Acrobatics
  • Archery
  • Badminton
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Beach volleyball
  • Bowling
  • Cross country running
  • Cycling
  • Equestrian
  • Fencing
  • Field hockey
  • American Football
  • Golf
  • Artistic gymnastics
  • Hockey
  • Lacrosse
  • Rifle shooting
  • Rodeo
  • Kayaking and canoeing
  • Rugby
  • Sailing
  • Skis
  • European football
  • Softball
  • Squash
  • Swimming
  • Tennis
  • Athletics
  • Triathlon
  • Volleyball
  • Water polo
  • Freestyle wrestling

Approximately 1,500 higher education institutions participate in the athletic scholarship program in the United States.

Athletic Scholarship Benefits

There are 2 types of Athletic Scholarships in the USA:

  • The full ride scholarship covers the student athlete's expenses not only for university studies, but also for meals and accommodation. In some cases, the full ride scholarship includes the cost of insurance.
  • Partial Athletic Scholarship (partial scholarship) covers tuition costs (either 100% or 50-90%). The student pays for accommodation and meals on his own.

The amount of the scholarship is determined individually based on the level of sports and academic training of the applicant.

In addition to the obvious benefit of financial support, a sports scholarship provides a number of other benefits:

  • Unlike an ordinary applicant from Russia, an athlete does not need to spend time and money on preparatory courses to make up for the missing year of schooling. A certificate of 11 classes of education is enough to get a sports scholarship and enter an American university.
  • The requirements for SAT and TOEFL results for athletes are lower than for other students, which greatly simplifies the admission procedure. For example, at the University of Miami, an ordinary student must pass SAT for 1200-1300 points, TOEFL for 80 points, an athlete - SAT for 700-900 points, TOEFL for 60-70 points. GPA for an ordinary student is 3.5-4.0 points, for an athlete - 2.8-3.5 points.
  • For both full and partial scholarships, the cost of sports at the university (equipment from the best sports manufacturers such as Nike and Adidas; personal nutritionist; trips to away games, etc.) is paid by the athletic department of the university.
  • Participation in guest games is a great opportunity to travel around the US and get to know the culture of the country better. During the breaks between competitions and trainings, athletes will have a rich cultural program: excursions to historical sights, visits to museums, restaurants. All this is again at the expense of the university.

How do I get an athletic scholarship to study at a US university?

Requirements for candidates applying for an athletic scholarship at an American university differ depending on the age of the athlete.

Sports scholarship requirements
Athlete age Required documents Tests Sports achievements
15-18 years old
(10-11 grade students, college students)
Certificate for grade 11
Grades for grades 8-11
Certificate for grade 9*
SAT
TOEFL
Athletic summary by sport

Video*

National and international athlete rankings

18-20 years old
Students of Russian universities (1-3 courses) We strongly recommend that you start looking for a scholarship 2 years before graduation or at the 1-2 year of study at a Russian university - this greatly increases the chances of finding the best option and calmly preparing for passing all the necessary tests.

Knowledge of English

For a foreigner, a prerequisite for admission to an American university is a good knowledge of English. Universities accept TOEFL test results as documentary evidence of language proficiency. As mentioned above, the passing scores for athletes, as a rule, are lower than for all other applicants - this greatly facilitates the admission process.

Academic performance

US universities are interested in the academic performance of an athlete - however, the requirements for an athlete's grades are much softer than for the GPA of an ordinary applicant. From a graduate of a Russian school, you will need the result of the SAT academic test, a certificate, as well as a list of grades for grades 8-11. If a student of a Russian higher educational institution enters an American university, instead of the SAT results, he must submit a certificate from his university, indicating the number of hours and grades for the disciplines passed. At the same time, American universities are only interested in exam results, credits are not accepted.

Sports achievements

Of course, the main criterion for the selection of athletic students is their sports achievements, reflected in a special athletic resume. Specialists of the Global Dialog company will help you to compile this document competently.

How does Global Dialogue help in obtaining sports scholarships?

The procedure for obtaining a sports scholarship with the help of Global Dialog is as follows:

  • At the preliminary stage, the company's specialists get acquainted with the athlete and his parents, analyze his chances of obtaining funding: which universities should be chosen, what type of scholarship awaits the student.
  • After the acquaintance has taken place, the athlete receives instructions that detail what documents he needs to collect and how to properly complete them so that the Global Dialog manager can continue to work. Instructions from Global Dialog include:
  • an example of a resume detailing sports results;
  • instructions for shooting video (if necessary) - requirements for length, plot, etc.;
  • SAT and TOEFL registration information;
  • instructions for school documents;
  • instructions for registration in athletic associations.

If the applicant is in Moscow, then the Global Dialog specialist will fill in and send the documents. If the applicant lives in another region, then the manager of the company advises the client on sending papers.

  • Having received from the athlete all the necessary papers, as well as copies of Russian and foreign passports, Global Dialog compiles the client's athletic profile and sends it to the database of university coaches.
  • After receiving several answers, the student receives the contacts of the trainers and enters into correspondence with them. After talking with the athlete, the coach decides whether he is ready to take this person to his team, and if so, on what conditions (amount and type of scholarship).
  • While the applicant is in correspondence with the coaches, Global Dialogue finds out the specific requirements for applicants-athletes at the selected universities. At the same stage, the athlete begins preparing for the test.
  • When the tests are passed, the student finally decides on the university in which he will go, submits an application for admission and signs a contract for a scholarship.
  • Finally, having received an i-20 (a document confirming admission to the university), with the help of the Global Dialog manager, the athlete issues a student visa and goes to study.

After receiving an Athletic Scholarship

An Athletic Scholarship is one of the most stable forms of funding available to an American university student. Unlike an academic scholarship, which can be lost for absenteeism or poor progress, a sports scholarship is allocated for the entire period of study at the university - 4 years, and it is quite difficult to lose it. As a rule, athletes are deprived of funding only for flagrant violations of the terms of the contract.

Athletes are allowed to miss classes during away games, and if performance drops due to competition, they offer free tutoring. Foreign athletes are also helped to learn the language and make a simplified schedule. By the way, if an athlete gets injured that does not allow him to continue playing for the team, the university will pay for the treatment. The scholarship will continue to be paid for the entire remaining period of study - these are the conditions of the athletic contract.

In addition, sports at the university open up excellent prospects for professional development for the graduate. After graduation, an athlete who has proven himself in intercollegiate competitions can continue his sports career or choose to work as a coach.

Many famous athletes started their ascent to the sports Olympus as part of the university team: basketball player Michael Jordan played for the University of North Carolina, golf player Tiger Woods played for Stanford University, and football player Dwayne Johnson once represented the University of Miami.

By the way, participation in interuniversity competitions will also be useful for those who are not going to connect their lives with sports. Purposeful, team-oriented athletes are highly valued by recruiters around the world, regardless of the company's field of activity.

Find out your chances for scholarships

Sports scholarships at American schools and universities. Who pays for the training of athletes in the USA? - How to become professional basketball players overseas

How do basketball players in schools and universities in the US get funding for their education?

Those who are interested in studying abroad may have heard the term “scholarship”, which means “scholarship” in Russian. However, in the US education system, the meaning of the word "scholarship" has a different meaning than what we mean by "scholarship" in Russia, Ukraine and other countries of the post-Soviet space.

In this article I will explain what is meant by the word "scholarship" in schools and universities in the United States, and also, I will tell you more about what a "scholarship" is.

A scholarship (scholarship) in American schools and universities is a financial incentive for a schoolchild / student, which goes to pay for education. This is financial assistance that is provided from various sources to a schoolchild / student in order to finance his studies, living expenses, meals, textbooks and other possible expenses.

In America, the student does not receive money from the scholarship, the scholarship is transferred to the account of the educational institution (or allocated from the budget of the educational institution) and is provided in the form of a tuition discount, in some cases covering up to 100% of tuition costs.

Athletic scholarship ( athletic scholarship or sports scholarship ) is funding provided by a school or university for athletes who will play for the team of this educational institution.

Sports scholarships can either fully or partially cover the cost of training athletes. The amount of the scholarship depends on many factors, but first of all, it is the athlete's athletic level (i.e. at what level the athlete performs) and his physical data.

If we consider athletes who can qualify for a full scholarship (i.e. full funding of their expenses for education, accommodation, meals, etc.), then the athlete must have such potential to become a professional in his sport in the future.

Let's give a specific example of an athlete from Russia studying at a prestigious school in the USA on a full sports scholarship:

Daniil Kastkin, born in 1999, 198cm, PG/SG

Daniil is one of the most promising young basketball players in Russia and one of the leaders of the Russian u18 team.

Since September 2016 Daniil moved to America, accepting an offer from the Mountain Mission school in Virginia, which, before the start of the 2016/2017 school basketball season, was ranked 10th among the strongest school basketball teams in America.

Daniil received full support (a full sports scholarship) from the school, which fully sponsors his expenses for education, accommodation and meals.

Who pays for student-athletes in the US, and where do US schools get the money to fund their students?

Schools, in most cases, do not have such large budgets to fully pay for the education of their athletes and other students.

The sources and methods that schools use to fund their students differ from how colleges and universities provide funding.

The cost of studying in a good private school in the USA (high school) without any scholarships for a foreign athlete, on average - $ 20.000-25.000 per year (including living expenses, meals, sports expenses, etc.)

That is, Let's say if some school takes an athlete for $5,000-6,000 per year of study, then it turns out that the school finances about 75% of the cost of the athlete's education.

Some schools are willing to fully fund the education of those athletes they are interested in, but in most cases schools do not have the same budgets as universities or colleges to fully fund the education of the entire, say, volleyball or basketball team. In most cases, 2-4 of the most talented players in a team are fully supported, the rest pay for school education in various amounts.

In most cases, if an athlete is given a full or partial sports scholarship at school, then the schools do not give out this money from their budget, but attract sponsors or some kind of funds that will help the school finance the athlete's education. Usually only the largest schools with the strongest sports programs can allocate funds for sports scholarships from their budget.


The situation is different in universities. Many universities make good money thanks to their sports programs, so a significant part (70% - 80%) of the scholarship fund is funded by the university itself.


Below are 2014-2015 revenue figures (in millions)

Most of this money goes to cover sports scholarships, salaries of coaching staff and maintenance of sports facilities. For example, in 2014, Duke University paid head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski $9,862,032. However, Duke's athletic program remains profitable. »

In large universities, the payment for one student-athlete can reach up to $ 60,000-70,0000 per year (for example, most basketball teams in the top 100 NCAA fly to games on charter flights).

Why spend so much money on athletes in schools and universities, what is the benefit of educational institutions?

Of course, the prestige of a university or school does not depend on sports victories alone, but in America it is a significant part. On the plus side, universities earn a lot of money selling tickets and TV broadcasts. The further the team advances, the more the university will earn, which means there will be more opportunities for the development of the educational institution, which will increase its prestige, as well as the value of education. The fact is that sports victories raise the prestige of an educational institution, and the higher it is, the more students want to go there and the more valuable the education received at this university.


The photo shows the number of scholarships per team that are awarded in NCAA Divisions 1 and 2 for some of the sports.

It is worth noting that schools and universities in the US have different chances of getting the maximum amount of funding for different sports.

Let's say that at NCAA division 1 universities all the players of the basketball team are on a full scholarship, but if we consider, for example, football (soccer), then the coach is given a certain amount of scholarships, which is not enough to fully pay for the education of all players. This amount can be divided among several people at the discretion of the coach. A few students may be on a full scholarship and others may not be, or the coach may split the funds equally among all. Each individual case is individual and each athlete should be considered as a special case.

In theory, it is possible to get a full scholarship (i.e. full tuition fees) in almost any sport for which sports scholarships are given in the USA, it all depends on how interested the coach is in you, and also apply to the right place at the right time (for example, a coach may be interested in giving an athlete a sports scholarship, but the coach has already run out of the budget for the team and cannot allocate funds for another athlete).


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